Facsimile printer contact assembly

ABSTRACT

A PRINTER CONTACT ASSEMBLY COMPRISES OF AN ELONGATED STRIP WITH A CONTACT ELEMENT SECURED THEREON, AND WHEREIN THE STRIP IS FORMED WITH AN APERTURE ADJACENT THE CONTACT ELEMENT TO PREVENT FIBERS OF PAPER FROM ACCUMULATING ON THE ASSEMBLY AS THE CONTACT ELEMENT IS MOVED ACROSS RECORDING PAPER DURING PRINT-OUT OF GRAPHIC DATA IN FACSIMILE APPARATUS.

jan. 5, 1971 F. BROUWER ET AL i 3,553,715

FACSIMILE PRINTER CONTACT ASSEMBLY Jan. 5, H971 Filed July l?, 1967 F.BROUWER ETAL 3,553,715

FACSIMILE PRINTER CONTACT ASSEMBLY 2 Shees-Sheaet 2 iV/7am@ 5056/40/52United States Patent 3,553,715 FACSIMILE PRINTER CONTACT ASSEMBLY FransBrouwer, Glencoe, and Frank L. Sobchak, Chicago,

Ill., assignors to Stewart-Warner Corporation, Chicago,

Ill., a corporation of Virginia Filed July 17, 1967, Ser. No. 653,723Int. Cl. G01d 15/06 U.S. Cl. 346-74 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREA printer contact assembly comprised of an elongated strip with aContact element secured thereon, and wherein the strip is formed with anaperture adjacent the contact element to prevent fibers of paper fromaccumulating on the assembly as the contact element is moved acrossrecording paper during print-out of graphic data in facsimile apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The present inventionpertains generally to facsimile apparatus for recording on paper graphicdata transmitted by wire, and more particularly to improved printercontact means for use in such apparatus.

Description of the prior art In one type of facsimile recorderapparatus, such as disclosed and claimed in the copending application ofFrans Brouwer and Frank L. Sobchak, Ser. No. 613,545, filed lFeb. 2,1967, electrical signals from a facsimile transmitter are converted toprinting current and passed through associated printer contact means anda linear printer bar. The printer contact means is moved length- Wise ofthe printer bar, whilemoist electrolytic recording paper is drawnbetween the printer contact means and the printer bar transversely ofthe latter. Metal from the printer bar is deposited on the recordingpaper and reacts with chemicals therein to produce, in various shadesfrom black to white, an image of the transmitted copy. In facsimileprint-out mechanism of this nature, fibers of paper tend to accumulateon the printer contact means during movement of the latter lengthwise ofthe printer bar. Such buildup of fibers has proved undesirable becauseit interferes with proper contact between the printer contact means andthe recording paper.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is concerned withimproved printer contact means for facsimile recorder apparatus of thegeneral type described above. This invention contemplates the provisionof a printer contact assembly comprised of elongated strip means, acontact element secured to the strip means transversely thereof, and anaperture formed in the strip means adjacent the contact element. Theaperture in the strip means serves to prevent the accumulation of fibersof paper on the assembly as the contact element is moved acrossrecording paper lengthwise of the associated printer bar. By thuseliminating the buildup of fibers on the printer contact assembly,proper contact is at all times maintained between the contact elementand the recording paper, thereby effecting uniform and high qualityreproduction of data.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is a view, partly in sectionand partly in elevation, of the front portion of a facsimile transceiverincorporating the principles of the present inventori;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view looking toward the front Patented Jan. 5,1971 ICC of the scanner assembly of the facsimile transceiver of FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is an elevational View, on an enlarged scale, of the printercontact assembly of the present invention and portions of the supportingand cooperating elements of the transceiver associated therewith;

FIG. 4 is a plan view, on a further enlarged scale, of the printercontact assembly of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the printer contact assembly ofFIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, thereis indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 one type of facsimileapparatus-a facsimile transceiver-in which the printer contact assemblyof the present invention may be incorporated. The facsimile transceiver10 comprises a main frame 12 enclosed by a cover assembly 14 and a topdoor assembly 16.

Operable in the transmission mode of the facsimile transceiver 10 are acopy feed mechanism indicated generally at 18 and a scanner assemblyindicated generally at 20. The copy feed mechanism 18 includes atransverse power driven copy feed roller 22 which draws copy materialfrom a copy feed tray 24, feeds the copy material past a longitudinalscanning slot 26, and discharges the same onto a tray 28. The scannerassembly 20 extends parallel to the copy feed roller 22, and as shown inFIG. 2, includes frame means 30, drive and idler pulley assemblies 32and 34, a timing belt assembly 36 trained about the pulley assemblies 32and 34, combined scanner and printer contact units 38 carried by thetiming belt assembly 36, and associated synchronizing and electricaltransmission means. Each scanner and printed contact unit 38 includes alower optical scanner carriage assembly 40, and an upper carriage andcontact essembly 42 comprised of a carriage block 43 and a printercontact assembly 44 of the present invention to be describedhereinafter. The combined scanner and printer contact units 38 areadapted to be connected to other electrical cornponents of thetransceiver 10 by means of a ribbon tape 46 and a rotor assembly 48. Therotor assembly 48 includes a commutator assembly 50 and is adapted to bedriven from the drive pulley assembly 32 by means of a belt 52. A motor54 (FIG. l) is arranged to drive a gear 56 at the lower end of the drivepulley assembly 32.

When the gear 56 is rotated, the drive pulley assembly 32 and the timingbelt assembly 36 are correspondingly rotated, and the optical scannercarriage assemblies 40` are accordingly moved in a continuous closedpath a portion of which extends parallel to the copy feed roller 22. Ascopy material is drawn about the copy feed roller 22, it is scanned,line-by-line, an elemental area at a time. The images received by theoptical scanner carriage assemblies 40 from the copy material areconverted to electrical signals by suitable circuitry, and these signalsare sent to another transceiver or other suitable facsimile recordingdevice for reproduction of the original copy material. For furtherdetails concerning the construction and operation of the above describedcomponents of the transceiver 10, reference may be made to the aforesaidcopending application of Frans Brouwer and Frank L. Sobchak.

In the receiving mode of the facsimile transceiver 10, electricalsignals received from another transmitter are converted to printingcurrent by suitable circuitry, and this current is used to produce animage of the transmitted copy on electrolytic recording paper. As shownin FIG. l, the print-out mechanism comprises a transverse power drivencombined drive and heat roller assembly 58 and an associated pressureroller 60 which together serve to withdraw moist electrolytic recordingpaper from a roll 62, move the paper beneath a transverse linear printerbar 64, and issue the paper with reproduced data for viewing. Arrangedfor cooperation with the printer bar 64 are the above described printercontact assemblies 44.

As shown in FIGS. 3-5, each printer contact assembly 44 is comprised ofelongated strip means in the form of an elongated strip or leaf springmember 66. At one end of the strip 66 a depending generally L-shaped legportion 68 is struck therefrom whereby to define a generally rectangularaperture 70 which extends lengthwise of the strip 66 centrally thereofand is open at the one end of the strip. The same end of the strip 66 isalso formed with semi-cylindrical depressed portions 72 extendingtransversely thereof in alignment on each side of the aperture 70.Secured at its ends in the depressed portions 72 is a contact element 74in the form of a cylindrical pin member. The other end of the printercontact 'block 43. Also, extending through the depending arm portion 7S. In mounted position, the printer contact strip 66 extends along thetop side of the carriage block 43, and is secured to an inclined topsurface thereof by means of screws 80 projecting through the slots 76and into the `block 43. Also, extending through the depending armportion 78 is an adjustment screw 82 which is threaded into the adjacentwall portion of the carriage block v43. The free end of the contactassembly 44 is normally biased upwardly by a coil spring 84, and the legportion 68 is engageable with a lateral limit pin 86.

The printer bar 64 (FIG. 1) is disposed vertically above and in thestraight line path of travel of the scanner and printer Contact units 38along one side of the scanner assembly 20. In the receiving mode, theprinter bar 64 is biased downwardly and presses the paper from roll 62downwardly into contact with the printer contact element 74 of theadjacent printer contact unit 38. As the timing belt assembly 36 isrotated, the printer contact units 38 are moved in the aforementionedcontinuous closed path and the printer contact elements 74 aresuccessively moved lengthwise of the printer barV 64. Printing currentis passed through the associated printer Contact elements 74, therecording paper, and the printer bar 64, and iron from the printer bar64 is deposited on the recording paper and reacts with chemicals thereinto produce an image of the transmitted copy. In this manner, copy isreproduced, line-by-line, an elemental area at a time, in synchronismwith another transceiver or suitable transmitter in which copy materialis being scanned.

As the recording paper passes over the combined drive and heat rollerassembly 58, it is dried and the electrolytic printing process iscompleted. Further details of the construction and operation of thevarious components of the print-out mechanism associated with theprinter contact assemblies 44 of the present invention are disclosed inthe aforesaid copending application of Frans Brouwer and Frank L.Sobchak.

During movement of the printer contact elements 74 lengthwise of theprinter bar 64 in the receiving mode, bers are normally loosened fromthe electrolytic recording paper. In this connection, the aperture 70formed in each printer contact strip 66 accommodates movement of suchfibers away from the printer contact element 74 and thereby prevents theaccumulation of ibers at the contact element. The printer contactassembly of the present invention is thus self-cleaning. By eliminatingthe buildup of fibers about the printer contact elements 74,interference by the fibers with proper contact between the contactelement and the recording paper is eliminated.

While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the artthat various rearrangements and modifications may be made thereinWithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in facsimile print-out mechanism having a linear printer bar,a self-cleaning printer contact assembly adapted to be repeatedly drawnalong the printer bar to mark recording paper therebetween in accordancewith electriccurrent passing therethrough comprising a cantilevered leafspring strip, an elongated contact element on said strip at its free endand positioned transversely thereof for contacting the recording paperat its mid-portion along the printer bar, and said strip being formedwith an aperture adjacent the leading edge of said contact element atits mid-portion to permit paper fibers to pass therethrough.

2. The printer contact assembly of claim 1 wherein said leaf spring isformed with semi-cylindrical depressed portions extending transverselythereof in alignment on each side of said aperture, and said pin memberis secured at its ends in said depressed portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1959 Alden 346-139C .1/1965Grafstein 346-139 Us. c1. X.R.

